24 Mar Overcrowding and Mixed Sex Sharing

Redbridge council placed a homeless family of 4 in one room in a hostel for 8 months. A case such as this is yet to be tested by the courts because a few days before the hearing Redbridge offered the family a 2 bedroom flat, rendering the housing act appeal academic.

The father, a refugee, suffered from PTSD and the mother from Depression. They and their 2 daughters, aged 8 and 17, were placed in 1 room in a hostel with shared facilities for 8 months, the review decision finding the accommodation suitable. Many councils have in recent years acquired hostels consisting of such ‘family units’ when the overcrowding legislation makes clear that the maximum number of persons per room is 2. Overcrowding with mixed sex sharing and of this degree in accommodation that is council owned and/or managed is unprecedented and ripe for challenge.